Elon Musk announced that starting next year, Tesla will allow owners to add their privately owned electric vehicles to its robotaxi network. This expansion could enable hundreds of thousands of Tesla owners to earn money by renting out their cars as self-driving taxis.
Tesla’s robotaxi network may see significant growth with the move
The step is said to represent a significant growth of Tesla’s robotaxi network, which started its operations the previous month in Austin with only a small number of self-driving vehicles owned and managed by the brand.
On the other hand, Tesla is planning to close the gap with industry frontrunner Waymo, which already operates a fleet of self-driving robotaxis serving paying passengers in various US cities. However, Musk noted that the Tesla team hasn’t thought about the details of adding the cars that it doesn’t directly own to the robotaxi service and was still focusing on the safety in Austin, where it first started its services in June.
“We need to make sure it works when the vehicles are fully under our control,” he said.
Tesla eyes customer-owned EV integration amid tech and regulatory hurdles
Elon Musk has been floating the idea for months that Tesla will eventually integrate customer-owned electric vehicles into its larger robotaxi network. This would enable the individual owners to rent out their cars and potentially manage their own fleets.
The company has been gradually expanding its service area in the city, though a recently shared service map attracted attention for its oddly suggestive shape. Tesla’s robotaxi service is currently available only to invitees, including social media influencers who regularly post about the company, and not the general public.
Elon Musk announced that Tesla plans to allow owners to add their vehicles to the robotaxi network sometime in 2026.
